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(No Model.)

R. H. LEWIS.

I LEVER BUTTON.

No. 354,068. Patented Dec. '7, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUSSELL H. LEWVIS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT S.CUTTING, OF SAME PLACE.

LEVER-BUTTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 354,068, dated December'7, 1886.

W Application tiled July 8, 1856. Serial No. 207,414. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RUssELL H. LEWIS. of the city and county ofProvidence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Lever-Buttons, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to the particular kind of button known as a leverbutton, which consists, essentially, of a button -head provided with apost, and of a movable shoe adapted to hinge and swing upon the end ofthe post, for the purpose of resting the shoe at right angles to thepost, in order to lock the button in a button-hole, or for the purposeof tilting the shoe into a position almost parallel to the post, inorder to facilitate the insertion of the button in or its removal from abuttonhole. An important requisite of this i'orni of button is that itbeconstructed of a movable shoe having few and durable parts, and,further, that the shoe can be tilted or thrown down into a position verynear parallel to the post or maintained securely at right anglesthereto, and, further, that the button presents no points or obstructingparts to impede the ready passage of the same through a buttonhole orits withdrawal therefrom.

The objects of my invention are to provide a neat and compact form oflever-button constructed of but few parts, and that has positive secureactions of the shoe. and that may be cheaply and easily manufactured.

To the above purposes my invention consists, essentially, in theconstruction of a movable shoe comprising a shoe cap and a springplatefixed together, and of the journaling of the bearings or pintles of thepost in the rim or edge of the shoe-cap, and of the novel constructionin securing the post to the head, all as hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1represents aside view of my improved button, the shoe being thrown downupon a side of the post. Fig. 2 represents a side view of Fig. 1 atright angles to the view there shown. Fig. 3 represents a side view ofthe'button, showing the shoe resting at right angles to the post and insection.

Fig. 4 represents aside view of Fig. 3, the shoe being in section. Fig.5 represents a side view of the two parts of the shoe separated and intheir relative positions and disposed above the post and head of thebutton. Fig. 6 represents a side view of the post and head of thebutton. Fig. 7 represents a top plan view of Fig. 6, showing the mannerof securing the head to the post, the outer flat ends of the post beingshown in broken lines. Fig. 8 represents a side view of Fig. 6, thebutton-head being shown in section.

In the said drawings like numbers of reference designate correspondingparts through- 6 out.

Referring to the drawings, the post 10 is illustrated as broad and flat,with two opposite sides curved inward toward each other. The post 10 isprovided at the head and foot with the approximately-shaped T ends 11and 12, respectively, the latter being shorter than the former. Theouter edge of the head of the post is convex, as clearly shown in Fig.

8, and the outer ends thereof are flattened out 7 in a plane normal tothe long axis of the post,

in order to form the shoulders l3and the holding or securing ends 14..The button-head 15 is saucer-shaped, and is formed snuglyagainst thehead 11 of post 10, and has the rim spun over upon itself and tittedsecurely over the holdingends 14.. upon their flat faces. By thisconstruction the buttonhead is firmly set upon the head of the post byspinning and without soldering.

At the outer ends of the foot 12 of the post are disposed the piutles orbearings 16. consisting of lugs projecting at right angles to the longaxis of the post. The pintles are semi-cylindrical in cross section.having the 0' face that is flush with the edge 17 of foot 12 flattened,in order to facilitate snapping the movable shoe into its severalpositions.

The post 10 is here illustrated as very broad in the body; but this formmay be readily modified to a double-T-shaped body, so as to prov de thenecessary T end at the head and foot of the post, respectively.

The movable shoe of my button is constructed 0t a saucer-shapedshoe-cap, 18, and a disk-like spring-plate, 19. The latter is made ofany suitable resilient material. The

the exposed face of said plate down flatly upon.

the surface 17 of the foot 12, so that the same takes diametricallyacross the plate,which is held at right angles thereto. In thiscondition the projecting rim or edge of the shoecap is turned or bentinwardly on the cap by spinning or otherwise, so that the rim may restsnugly and be securely clamped upon the plate 19 and over the curvedfaces of bearings,

or pintles 16. By virtue of this manner of hinging the shoe upon thepost the bent rim of the shoe has been formed with suitable journalcavities or sockets, 20, for the engagement of the pintles 16, and theshoe has its' plate 19 pressed upon the surface 17 of the post. The shoeis therefore quite firmly set at right angles upon the post, and wheneither side of the shoe opposite a broad side of the post is thrown ortilted down the spring-plate will come into play, and will of coursesnap and hold it in the tilted position.

To increase the spring power of the shoe in its tilting action, thesurface or top 17 of the post or foot may be formed slightly convex onthe length of the same, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the leverage of thetilting is increased, and accordingly the flexing of the spring: plate.

It is evident that the button herein described forms a neat structure,and that the shoe has a very positive action, and, further, the shoe inthe tilted position lies flatly against the post and quite paralleltherewith.

There may be various modifications made in the features of my inventionwithout departing substantially from the spirit of the same, ashereiudescribed and claimed. For instance, the journal box or cavity,formed in the rim of the shoe-cap, may be an eye or may be moreelaborately constructed than what I show, for my invention contemplatessuch equivalent constructions.

Having thus described myinvention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Paten t 1. The combination of abutton-head, apost for saidbutton-head and provided with bearings or pintles near the foot thereof,and amovable shoe consisting of a shoe-cap and a springplate securedtogether, the margin or edges of said cap formed with journal cavitiesor sockets for said bearings or pintles on-the post, whereby thespring-plate may ride across the foot of the post and between thehinge-points.

2. The combination of abutton-head, a post for said head and providedwith fixed lateral bearings at the foot thereof, and a movable shoecomposed of a saucer-shaped shoe-cap and a spring-plate secured withinthe concavity of said cap, the margin of said cap formed with journalsockets or boxes for said bearings, the bearings working in saidjournal-boxes, whereby the springplate may ride upon the foot of thepost and be strained or' unstrained by the tilting of the shoe thereon.V

.3. The combination ofthe flattened post provided at the head with thelaterally-disposed holding ends. and the button-head formed up over saidends, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the post provided at the head with a T end havingflattened hold .ing ends thereon, the outer edge of said T end formedconvex, and the button-head havin the rim thereof formed up over saidholding ends, whereby the button-head may be firmly secured to the post.

5. The combination of the post having the head thereof provided withlaterally-disposed holding ends, the button-head formed up over saidends, the foot of said post provided with laterally-extending pintles orbearings, and the movable shoe consisting of a spring-plate and .theshoe-cap, said plate set securely within the concavity of said cap, saidcap having the rim thereof formed over on the spring-plate, and providedwith journal-cavities for said pintles, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the double-T-formed post, the head of said-postprovided with laterally-projecting flattened holding ends, the buttonhead formed up over said holding ends, the foot of said post havinglaterallyextending pintles or bearings formed semi-cylindrical shaped,and the movable shoeconsisting of the disk-like spring-plate andtheshoecap, said cap formed over on said plate and over said pintles,whereby the shoe may be maintained in any of the three positions,substantially as described.

7. The combination of a button-head, apost secured to said head, andprovided with bearings, or pintles like 16, the movable shoe consistingof the shoe-cap 18, provided withjournal-sockets, and the springplate19, substantiaily as described.

8. The combination of the button-head 15, the post 10, secured theretoand provided with lugs or bearings 16, the shoe-cap 18, provided withjournal-sockets 20, and the spring-plate 19, constructed substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

RUSSELL n. LEWIS.

Witnesses:

M. F. BLIGH, J. A. MILLER, Jr.

IIO

